Thread by @gauravsabnis

Waiting for India to fully wake up and hear about the #FarmersProtest ad aired during the #SuperBowl broadcast. Bhakt first instinct is to claim paid paid paid. Yeah, you have to pay almost 6 million dollars for 30 seconds.

https://twitter.com/simran/status/1358563007018766337?s=19

I was saying it's a big tactical mistake to take this panga with American celebs of color going into the #SuperBowl weekend. That farmers ad was seen by THE biggest US audience that pays extra attention to ads. Every ad later gets discussed.

https://twitter.com/gauravsabnis/status/1358109234790080516?s=19

In no other sports event, from FIFA to NBA to even IPL, are the ads during the event reviewed and scrutinized in detail. It's a pretty big assignment in my marketing strategy course too. So tomorrow, this #FarmersProtest ad will get another lease of life.

When bhakts eventually inevitably rant "who has this much money 😠" counter that #factcheckbait by saying maybe BJP's Suraj Pal Amu. Make them google that name whenever they bring up money talk.

Update. The #FarmersProtest ad was not shown nationally, but in select markets in the small local ad slots. But still shown in enough markets that it will definitely be analyzed and discussed in mainstream US media.

Just FYI, states don't always map to media markets. For example, NJ has no media market of its own (split between NYC and Philly markets). California has like 10 different media markets. So just knowing it played in California isn't enough.

Buying an ad during the super bowl even on local stations isn't going to be cheap as such. But not the almost 6 million media buy that I initially thought it was. We're talking maybe 6 figures, if that. Dozens of activist groups can afford it.

Not even the worst stupidest politician of any standing in the US has ever said to the world "don't comment on our internal matters 😠😠". So the idea that such a tantrum against popular genial US celebs would have any real impact was stupid even by sanghi standards.

The thing is, they have absolutely no leverage here in the US, so what even is the wild hope here? That black Americans will get so terrified of being quizzed on their agriculture knowledge that they'll meekly shut up and go away?

You badger Mia Khalifa of all people with comments on her body and life choices thinking what? She will suddenly throw on a pochampalli, walk up Vaishnodevi barefoot, and donate all her earnings to the Ayodhya temple? Like seriously, what is the endgame here? 🤣🤣🤣

Heh, exactly. All Malviya has done is given visibility to Mia & Amanda among desis. You have two smart, funny, smoking hot women leaning into your main "paid tweet" attack with biting humor. Your army of online incels might see some defections. 🤣🤣

https://twitter.com/NadjaNadika/status/1358631437172305921?s=19

IT cell is used to indian liberal response, which is to take #FactCheckBait and earnestly rebut or refute or angrily denounce ridiculous and offensive claims. Learn from @miakhalifa @AmandaCerny about whom to RT/QT and whom to skewer without any amplification of the assholes.

Mia and Amanda are QT/RTing almost exclusively like-minded people & farmers. The very rare direct response to a bhakt attack is hilarious. So what's happening is a continuing asymmetric propaganda win for Mia & Amanda and thus the farmers on a world stage. 🤣🤣

Indian media and bhakt social media are continuing to obsessively refresh their Twitters, outrage about the latest insult from those women, and attack them with easily ignorable and filterable tweets. It's 2021, people. Very easy to shut out who you want to shut out.

Even if you strip away all the politics and human decency and everything from the situation and just look from a purely tactical perspective. This is an all-win no-loss scenario for Mia & Amanda & Meena.
Rihanna is too big to need this boost. So she is quietly laughing only.

But for the other ladies, what a great dream opportunity. They can raise their own public profiles and bring in some well deserved $$$ through the extra following, while also standing up for a right and just cause. They can milk this gullible mob with a clear conscience!